Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-05-20
Santa Ana and way
rsw y.rk Police Methods.

Nothing better illustrates the new re-
lationship between criminals and the
uolice than the curious features OF police
work. Whether there are or not any
such detectives as Vidocq is question,
but there is no question that the condl'
tions under which our Vidocqs work are
wholly different from the conditions
which gave the great Frenchmsn chance
to display his ability. No longer rs 1t
the case that the head of detective
force, upon being confronted with a
mysterious crime, picks out man in his
command and Gays:
"Robinson, here is a penknife and a
pair Of rubbers left by a mysterious mur-
derer; take them and track hin down" :"
That was the old way-it still is In
the country-and the man had TO be a
Vidocu to do the work. Persons nova.
days who think the romantic detective
work Of fiction and the stage are like
the work Of to-day, marvel gfeatly when
they see q stupid-looking, coarse, clumsy
fellow, such as some New York detee-
tives are, and say to themselves:
''Is it possible that such a man can
play as many parts as great actor and
possesses mind both broad and subtle,
tapA5le of Vidocq's work!
Sonsensei No. 1t is only once in
while that such genius is needed, and
then il he is not at hand we get along
without him, and add another to the list
Of mysteries, la Burdell, la Nathan,
. In Ross, aud la Stewards body.
The basis of detective work now is
the acquaintance of detectives with
criminals. Every such fiDe.tooth comb
ing as this one Just finished enlarges that
acquaintance and makes it deeper. It's
frightfully dull and prosaic, but it's
found to be practical and reasonably
efficient. For instance, We have large
force here in New York, under Inspector
Byrnes and Superintendent Murray.
There are about fifty full fedged detec.
tive Sergeants who are paid and
rank as Police Sergeants. and there are
about 100 detectives who rank as patrol
men. The latter are keenly ambitious
to become Sergeants; the Sergeants are
equally ambitious not to be reduced tc
their former rank as patrolmen. There
you have the motive Of the corps. Eacl
one has his work cut out for him. and
he makes himself proficient in that dur
ing dull times. Just before the Weeks
murder, for instance, such conversations
as these occurred between Byrnes anc
his men:
"Mr. Ryan, is Jack Sheppard still
living in Harlem. and does he hang ou
in McMann's gin mill. and is that woman
still living with him."
~ don't think there's been an,
change, sir" is the reply.
swell, run up to Harlem and find out
all about him and what he is up to. Mr..
Doyle skip over to Fort Hamilton and
lock after your parties, Blueskin, Rec
Lsary, Guy Fawkes and the Kid. And
you, Schmidt, knock around among the
Anarchists. We don't know what they
are doing or are going to do. Find out
ell about EN-"
A prodigious amount of knowledge ie
gained and kept up in this way. Give
each man several subjects, as each ona
has, and the result is tnat there is not =
professional in town who cannot be 10
GATED in an hour if he is in town, or
tracked il out of town. This knowledge
embraces close acquaintance with the
habits of the crooks. their mistresses,
friends, the liquor stores and gambling
hells they frequent, the fences
where they borrow when hard up, and
the lines of work on which they oper-
ate, as we'll as the gangs they operate
with. 1t is said that our city detectives
know all this absolutely. But this
Weeks case went beyond all this. When
they ceased their blind and general
work and settled on Greenwell of the
lodging. house gang as the man, they
said that they knew from the first that
the crime was not the work of good men,
Professional criminals are always spoken
respectfully Of by the police as good
men. The truth probably is that they
felt pretty certain it was not the work
of . professional, because it did not
tally with professional methods.
s'Good men," said Superintendent
Murray, "will do anything rather than
shoot when they are cracking a place.
They will give up the job, run away, or
even take beating before they will pull
. trigger. 1t is only when they are cor.
nered and see q long sentence staring
them in the face that they will commit
an assault, and then they will prefer
not to kill"
But whatever the police knew, they
despised no efforts, however contrary to
reason, that might lead to the capture of
Weeks slayer. With very few excep-
tions every captain, ward fly cop, ser.
geant and roundsman in New York, aud
very many patrolmsn besides, interested
themselves in this case, and as each one
knew some criminals, criminals frieHds,
haunt or women. the cinder heap got a
good sitting. And thus we come to the
curious relationship existing between
these forces. naturally so hostile. The
police made the crooks help them.
They almost always do. Seymour, the
detective. hunted mp Rodney, the bnnko
man.
"Redney," said the detective, 81 want
TO get on to this Weeks job"
"Couse yer do" said Rodney, "but 1
dunno narthin' about it. i amt givin'
yer no larry now. l amt heard narthin
only what make der gal read ter me
every mornin'."
II know that, Redney," says the man
of the law, "but if you get tip let's
have it, old man; what dye say? Will
yers'
Rodney says he will, and so does every
crook the detective has such conversa-
tion with, which is about every one he
meets. While this was going on, other
distinguished crooks were being tapped
ON the shoulder and bidden to "be at
she Central office tomorrow; the super
wants to see you;" or, "the Inspector
wants YOU" They came in every in
stance, knowing that they must.
They were politely questioned. 1t
was interesting; it always ia interest.
ing to see how differently different ones
behaved. Some burglars and snealSs and
forgers consider it great honor TO be in
demand in this way. 1t flatters their
vanity to be called on and to find them.
selves In an easy chat with authority
clothed in blue and starred with gold.
They become as loquacious as women.
Other are sullen and defiant. They
want nothing to do with authority.
Tney consider themselves abused.
rhasa last ara In the minority, how.